Everything Goes
by The.Dust.Of.Jack
Summary: 'The day L falls asleep is the day Light had always said he would pay to see.' AU. Character death, and quite obvious Light/L without it ACTUALLY BEING Light/L. You know me.


Title: Everything Goes  
Rating: Teens  
Pairing: Back to the old HINTS at L/Light  
Warning: Ahh, plot smot. I don't know what canon is. Oh, and character death, dur.  
Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note

Summary: 'The day L falls asleep is the day Light had always said he would pay to see.' AU. Character death, and quite obvious Light/L without it ACTUALLY BEING Light/L. You know me.

A/N: I'm a bored, tired, but unable to sleep teenager who demands the rights to fall in love with Death Note all over again. Its 01.04 in the morning, and I think it is time for me to either write productively or sleep. No, no, go away, silly Sherlock, stop tormenting me with your weird-looking main character shininess. I hope they'll seriously consider Benedict Cumberbatch as the next doctor. But, you know, Matt Smith is good for another 1,000,000 years or so =) So don't go rushing Moffat and Gatiss. Especially seeing as you have Benedict Cumberbatch for SHERLOCK. You know, that FREAKIN AWESOME mini-series you DIDN'T INTEND TO KEEP UP. What is that all about? You're Doctor Who writers and occasional actors. Gatiss, you even play the awesome Mycroft with his umbrella – and you do it _perfectly_. For shame!  
*rant over* Well, no the rant is probably not over, and my frustrations will leak over into my writing. Murderously so. You know how killing animals is like the first sign of a serial killer? Do you think killing off characters is the first sign of a fangirl serial killer? Because I'm a bit worried about my obsession with MURDERING fictional characters. Awesome fictional characters, too. The next one I kill may be Sherlock, and I like freaking Sherlock. Maybe John. Sorry. Fic ahead X) Its Death Note. Again. Surprise, surprise. Oh, and about 7,000 words give or take. That's good! For me. Seeing as my last one was 13,000 or so. My next one is around 2,600, so all is wonderful and not hideously long. Don't say I don't give you the best of both worlds. Oh, and finally, I tried to keep them in character. But I'm a fan girl. Forgive me my weakness.

* * *

He was allowed one cigarette.

Just one.

The Light Yagami L knew would never have taken anyone up on such an offer because filthy human habits like sitting oddly on chairs, touching things with a minimal amount of fingers involved and smoking were something Light had always associated with someone else; other people, who weren't nearly as perfect as he. Or so, L had thought.

L supposed he _had_ been wrong a select few times, such as when he accused his physics teacher of stealing his only copy of _A Brief History of Time_, even though he hadn't. L, of course, had hidden it under his mattress a week before and forgotten about it because he had it memorised so any book would do for him to serve as a replacement. And he'd made a mistake. Whammy's had fired a perfectly good teacher because of L's accusations. They never asked for him to come back because they presumed L had grounds for suspecting him, such as not liking him very much, even. But, the honest truth was that he was the closest person nearby when L had realised he'd misplaced the book, so the unfortunate man had the whole force of L and his horrifying intelligence crash down on him when his guard was down. L had always been stubborn and merciless, and had gone straight into accusations that were perfectly reasonable with evidence that was perhaps a little erratic, but worked to serve a purpose. The worst thing was that L also believed he could never be wrong and had convinced himself the man _had _stolen it. When he'd found the place he'd stashed the book (which was only found because he wished to put the several copies of the Bible he'd received from the visit some enthusiastic new church people had given him), he'd flicked through the book once more in a fond sort of manner, with a calm and almost shallow relief upon finding it, before ripping it apart and shredding it page by page for hours until it was nothing but a sort of ugly brand of black and white snow in the place of what had been beautiful and perfectly formed crisp, white pages. Watari had never _really_ found out the book hadn't been stolen at all, because L had difficultly admitting that sort of completely low-level defeat, but when the children of the orphanage had crowded to look out the window at the 'snow' when it was the middle of July, L supposed the man must of suspected something. He wasn't stupid, after all.

Similarly, neither was Light Yagami. It wasn't his fault it had all ended this way, even though that was another thing L would never admit to anyone but himself. Light Yagami was nothing short of a genius, albeit with an idealistic and childish set of morals which were ultimately twisted by the particular brand of evil that had been forced upon him. L had been dedicated to analysing the Shinigami's "Death Note" since he'd found it, with a hint of disgust at the names written in there, but mostly fascination and delight at such a peculiar object. The Shinigami himself, or herself, Rem, had been nothing short of gracious, answering questions with what L thought was quite a liberal attitude, but then surprising L once all the important evidence had come together and Light Yagami was arrested by having an even looser tongue. The Shinigami had never particularly scared him, though she was quite foreboding with her gangly stature and imposing eight-foot figure, looking like she could snap at any moment, but at the same time L knew if someone tried something, they'd be snapped first. The only time he had felt a jolt of fear towards the Shinigami was when Light was first arrested, and L had muttered something to Watari about collecting Misa Amane for prison as well. Then Light had started to laugh. It was low at first, and quite dry, but it grew into quickly genuinely amused to the point of having tears in his eyes. L was angry and had approached closer to see what was so funny, but Light wasn't looking at anything but Rem, and Rem wasn't really something normal people felt compelled to laugh at. L supposed Light wasn't normal, but he knew Light would have a reason for his amusement. He saw, as he turned to watch the creature, a pen starting to lower onto the now open Death Note of her own, and L felt the stomach-dropping, bitter taste of fear well up inside him.

"Stop!" He yelled at the Shinigami, hands up in an automatic and instinctual sign of surrender of self L had never used or particularly known before. "You are writing my name, are you not? Why?" The Shinigami had paused, mouth starting opening in an answer, but Light had snorted in a manner to suggest he thought them both idiots, which L knew he did, and smirked at them.

"What's the point?" He spoke towards Rem, and L had no idea why Light was defending him, especially now he had a new set of handcuffs around his wrists. "He won't get any gratification in arresting or killing her. Chances are he won't at all." L had been sure, from that day on, when he watched the Shinigami eye Light suspiciously then slowly start to withdraw her notepad, that Misa was kept safe an out of the way, though a bodyguard with immediate contact to Watari didn't hurt anyone.

Light Yagami didn't scare him either. Kira had first fascinated him; then, as he became more illusive and seemingly impossible to catch without help, he had made L angry. And then L had found him, and some sort of quiet and calm had overcome him. His anger and fascination both passed over to Light Yagami and the rest of the world blurred out to insignificance. L found it hard to keep his attentions away from Light, even now, with Light being stored in a top-security prison designed and commissioned by L just for him. Light wasn't going to wriggle out of this, though he had tried a few times. This is what kept L obsessed with Light Yagami – the prison was designed to never be breeched from the inside or the outside, yet somehow he'd managed to find his way of escape and be free into open air. It was down to sheer luck they'd managed to see him before he got away for good and the chase was on again. Light had timed his escape down to the last millisecond, during a brief passage of time when the far end wasn't immediately guarded. By chance, though, a day guard had dropped his keys earlier that day and was out that night retracing his steps. While he was at it, he had stumbled upon Kira, and Kira had run for it. But the guard used his sense to get passed his shock that the man had escaped at all, and blew his whistle urgently. Light had given up the small chase in twenty-minutes, reportedly looking ill, angry, fed-up, but mostly annoyed. L had kept him tied to a chair in a manner that resembled Misa's containment, only without the blindfold, for a week afterwards, demanding to be told how he had escaped. Light had looked pleased as punch at L's quick frustration when he refused to answer, which made him more frustrated. To anyone else, L was his usual stoic self, but Light, and only Light, could see passed that – he knew the little give away quirks, and he was amused by it.

He didn't look it now.

There was a closed-top courtyard in the prison that Light walked around every day for half an hour under the watchful gaze of the now even more wary guards for prison brand 'exercise'. Light sat in it now, looking cold but calm in a brown jumper his mother had created, which wad possibly made out of more tears than wool. The rest of his outfit was generally standard – plain clothes provided by the institution itself and a pair of simple plimsolls on his feet to protect them but be of no other use to Light if he thought about using them in some grand escape plan. In between his fingers was a slowly burning cigarette L never knew Light could draw comfort from, rather suspecting this fag was his first but was using it as an excuse to enjoy some final time alone he'd been lack of since… well, since L had chained him up to himself, L supposed. L didn't know if he could blame him for this last wish, even if it did mean clouding the air around him with poisonous gases.

He watched him from the other side of the door, Light's gaze away and uncaring if anyone was watching him, though his expression didn't look like he knew L was there (though you never knew with Light), and L wasn't sure whether he wanted to stay where he was and watch the man, or go closer towards him, out into that courtyard.

"What is it about him?" A cold, disassociated voice asked, and L was slightly startled by the sudden appearance of the Shinigami Rem besides him, though he refused to show her such a thing. "What is it that draws us all in?"

"'Us'?" L echoed. "Do you refer to other Shinigami?"

"I refer to everyone who has been in contact with him, be it Shinigami or human. I pride myself upon being the only one not to be attracted to him to the point of obsession. Even you, detective L, had been pulled into the trap, though you used this interest for different means than other people; namely, you used the fondness you have of him to learn about him, understand him greater, and thus capture him. Your opinion on the subject of Kira never wavered, and there he is now, alone and defeated; open and empty, solely because of you. I suppose I would feel gratified if I could."

"It is an ugly sight to see." L admitted, though he wasn't sure if he were telling the truth. Outside, they saw Light drew himself inwards, trying to capture some forbidden warmth the empty space and thin clothes did not allow him to keep. He closed his eyes as he leaned against the wall, looking drowsy and tired, hair hanging at a length L had seen once on Light before when he was holed away for fifty days, with his fringe almost to the bottom of his cheek.

"You should speak to him again." Rem said, but it wasn't clear in her tone if she was pleased with her own idea or not. "Raito Yagami has always been grounded by the reality of you, and without you I fear he would become … unstable. Likewise, yourself, you will be losing him today, this man you have always called your friend, and yet you have not said goodbye."

Light Yagami was not L's friend. Light Yagami was L's enemy, Kira. Light Yagami was worse than Kira because he was something more than him, something more real. Light Yagami was a person of flesh and blood, with a sharp mind and a quick hand ready to fight and likely to win. Like L, it was not in him to lose, and that is exactly what L saw in Light that he couldn't see in Kira – in Light, L saw himself. He considered the Shinigami's idea, wondering if he would be disappointed if he did go out into the courtyard and find Light was as dull as Matsuda due to the days he'd rightly suffered behind these walls with lack of efficient mental exercise, but also now Light was just Light, would L not care any longer?

Light didn't look up when the door opened and then closed again securely, and L presumed he expected some sort of guard. He shuffled towards the murderer steadily, not wanting to startle him, as if Light was a frightened animal. Well, the description probably fitted. As he approached him, he started to see Kira again in those chocolate eyes and the way he still held himself with dignity and the haughty expression which showed he knew he was better than the guards and in fact everyone in this prison, even when he was the prisoner and this made him the lowest of the low. It started to make L angry; that he still believed himself a god, when he was just a pitiful excuse for a human being, and when he stopped before Light, he was almost shaking and his lips were on the verge of a sneer. Light was still looking away, but out of the corner of his eye L knew he'd seen the recognisable white shirt and jeans.

"Kira-kun," He said nastily, and Light's eyes snapped up to meet his when he was addressed. No ritual 'I'm not Kira, Ryuzaki' was shot back this time, for obvious reasons. "How are you enjoying your last day alive?"

A sneer to match L's own started to make his way onto Light's face but then it stopped and morphed into a grotesquely beautiful smile. "It's been wonderful, thank you." He said in the sweetest of tones L wanted to recoil from. "I woke up to the birds singing outside my kindly inserted_ window_, the guards were not violent towards me _at all_, breakfast was the full deal; a _banquet_ of delights, and now here I am, sitting out here in the beautiful _sunlight_." He waved his arms towards the grey ceiling where no such sun was present. "How do you think?" He then muttered lowly, putting the cigarette in his mouth.

"I was not aware Kira-kun smoked." L said, watching the path of the cigarette from in between Light's lips back to his fingers, then the smoke which came from Light's mouth.

"I wasn't aware I was expecting any visitors." Light shot back, looking at L pointedly.

"Ah." L said slowly. "I was speaking to the Shinigami," he said, feeling that a person's last day should be one of complete honesty. "Rem-san suggested it."

"She most probably wants you to distract me, so Misa doesn't."

"She does seem protective of Misa-san. Is there any reason why?"

Light looked at him as if he were an idiot. "You don't know?" He asked, and L blinked lazily at the boy, waiting for Light to flaunt the knowledge in his face. As expected, he didn't have to wait long. "Rem is in love with Misa." Light said.

"I wasn't aware Shinigamis could feel love." L said, a bit surprised. Light shrugged, deciding that this conversation was tiring him so he slipped down the wall to sit gently on the floor. L almost unconsciously followed him, kneeling in his usual way besides the mass murderer.

Light closed his eyes for a moment, head against the wall behind him, and L turned to watch him, visions and memories of Kira plaguing the back of his mind as he did so. But then Light opened his eyes to look at him blankly, probably feeling the familiar feel of the detective's ever present eyes burn into his head, and all at once L was reminded of where Kira hadn't played a part in Light's existence. Little images came to the forefront of his memory as they locked eyes, with startlingly clear recollections of the genius of Light without the Kira, or when Misa had idiotically dragged them out on a 'date' to play paintball and L and Light had been chained together with a pretend but loaded gun each in inexperienced by enemy hands. There was also the film Misa had made them watch in her room which was in English and didn't have Japanese subtitles, so she made it her aim in life to bug Light throughout it for translations. He remembered Light analysing data on the computer quickly and effortlessly when he was a genius and a perfectly rounded person all in one. Even, ridiculously, the memory of Light brushing his teeth twice a day obsessively plagued L's mind, with Light scrubbing, spitting, rinsing and then using the disgusting mouthwash L dare not even touch.

"Gets rid of plaque." Light would always say, thrusting it towards L who, due to his own chain, couldn't quite escape. "Use it, because your breath is disgusting and your children's brand strawberry flavoured toothpaste is not enough to get rid of the stench of sugar and gelatine."

"Neither of which have a smell." L would always reply, and Light would go into a rant about how it really does when presented mixed in with this sweet and that sweet, and it's truly, horrifically, disgustingly gross. It makes his skin crawl even thinking about it. By the time he was finished, they were usually late and so the mouthwash became a trivial motion in light of chasing down Kira and thus usually forgotten.

Now that Light wasn't there to bug L about it every morning, he never used it, but found himself thinking, pondering the possibilities and the pros and cons of using mouthwash, concluding most days it was probably a excellent idea to utilize it, though it hadn't actually been touched since Light left.

Snapping back to reality showed Light clearly wasn't thinking about the same thing.

"I'm glad you're here." He said lightly, and it made L start. He didn't bother to say 'excuse me' or 'what?' because he had heard well enough Light's words, and while amazed that they had left Light's lips at all, he wasn't deaf.

"I am too." He eventually replied, though wasn't sure if Light heard him, because Light was staring straight ahead again into the opposite reinforced steel wall and his head on a different planet. L would suspect he wasn't even aware of what he had said at all, though the probability of Light not being conscious of himself were about 0.3% likely, which weren't even percentages worth considering.

Silence stretched on, and whilst this was not the intelligence conversation L had hoped for, it certainly wasn't the spitting and the shouting and the fighting it could have also easily turned into. This meant that it could never be the worse case scenario (that of Light being too dumb to care, or too idiotic to string two words together anymore), but it could never be the best case scenario either, which was that Light would admit he was wrong and apologise for his actions.

The doors slammed open eventually, and L saw Rem watching from behind them, the guards not aware of her, and her wings unfolding to take flight. Besides him, he felt Light stiffen up in what could be fear, but what also could be pure and simple irritation, and L stood and offered a hand for Light to grab onto before he even thought.

Light, having moved to hoist himself up on his own, froze as L offered his assistance, noticing distantly that the usually noisy, demanding guards were quiet and patient in L's presence. A moment of long stillness passed, before Light continued to move on his own, and L withdrew his hand when he showed no signs of taking it.

"I'm presume you're going to watch." Light said as they put handcuffs on him and took the stub of the cigarette from him, grounding it down into the cement below their feet.

"You still have an hour with your family." L said, and Light seemed more resigned at the mention of his family than that of his impending execution.

"Yes, I do." He said lightly, and turned to leave.

"Raito-kun," L said, and the guards stopped to allow Light to look over his shoulder at the detective and listen. L stared at him awkwardly for a long moment, and Light cocked his eyebrow, a light smirk playing about his lips as he watched L struggle with words.

"Goodbye, L." He said instead, ending the conversation and their relationship all in one – bringing closure to the past they'd shared and the future they could never have, and L could only nod in reply.

"Goodbye, Raito-kun." He said back as Light was made to start to march away again, and Light threw a final look over his shoulder as he entered the building and that was the end of it. This horrible, strange, fascinating chapter of his life was over, and it left him feeling slightly cold, but that could have just been the lack of heating in the building.

* * *

He met Watari in the hallway an hour later, after sitting very still and very alone in the same place while he waited for the right time to come. Watari asked where he was, but L ignored him and refused to answer the question, instead opting to duck into the room and find a seat. He found one immediately next to Yagami-san, but decided against sitting there, wondering if the man would be able to stand watching his son's execution whilst the man who caused it, and in fact arranged it, sat right besides him. Instead he walked up to him and nodded his head, shaking the man's hand. Yagami-san greeted him in as much spirit as he could muster, but he looked tired. Next to him sat his daughter, Sayu, and then next to Sayu was Sachiko Yagami. Both of them were crying, but Sayu managed a small greeting, and Sachiko said "Hello." when her husband introduced him as Ryuzaki-kun, a co-worker of Light's. Sachiko had snorted at that, muttering mostly to herself that she knew it was only the Kira Team here, and that was certainly true. Holed in the little room stood Mogi, who was attempting as always to keep himself as out of the way and un-intimidating as possible – a hard feat when a person is 6 foot 2 inches tall and an army man, but with Mogi it always proved most achievable. Also, affective. Aizawa sat behind the Yagami's, though kept himself at a respectable distance, was wearing a hard glare and wouldn't look at L. There was a camera, feeding live into the securely locked room of Misa Amane so she could see this as well, though no one wanted to risk her hurting anyone in her grief. Finally, there was Matsuda, who looked a bit defeated, sitting in a chair on his own, sad and pathetic. L knew that this was because he had idolised Light – no wonder, what with Light's looks, intelligence, and everything else unnameable and wonderful that Light was. Now he has found the boy he always looked up to is a mass murderer – the one person besides Yagami-san that he truly believed in was _Kira_. L knew Matsuda respected L well enough, but all the abuse and general nastiness L had hurled at him throughout the Kira investigation must have left its mark. Matsuda noticed him looking, and strained a weak smile, as if still proving, even if it was just to himself, that he could survive.

"Hello, Ryuzaki." He said, and L nodded at him, fully acknowledging the young detective.

"Good morning, Matsuda-san." He replied, before sitting in the chair Watari had provided for him, with Watari graciously staying besides him. L curled up, eyes glued out through the window towards the white room beyond, and Watari gently put a hand briefly on L's shoulder.

"This is what's best." He whispered for L's ears only, and L looked at him curiously.

"Do you believe I do not know otherwise?" He wondered, and Watari sighed heavily.

"You have taken a liking to that boy." Which was the second time L had heard that today. Speaking of which, he wondered where Rem could have gone. Perhaps to comfort Misa.

"What does that have to do with anything?" And this was a genuine question, because although L understood that people like Misa may do something drastic in moments of intense emotions, L was never one for emotions at all because they only got in the way of justice. Like now.

"You have become attached to him." Watari continued, like L hadn't spoken at all when L was 99.9% sure he had, and they were percentages he really trusted. "To the point of perhaps keeping him alive, even if he is constantly trapped."

"Hardly, Watari." L bit back, keeping his voice as hushed as he could, though he knew they'd attracted Aizawa's attention, and he was straining to hear. "What is the point if someone like Raito-kun is caged? I have seen him already today, and he has only been in here for seventeen days. He has started to wither. Even if I wasn't, it would hardly change anything. I would watch Kira die, as I have made it my goal."

"Yet you still call him 'Raito'. You briefly entertain fantastic ideas of his freedom, but it is not Kira you see leaving this building, you see Yagami Raito. You have to force reality upon yourself, because, thankfully, you still know what is right. You know what is _good_."

"How do you call this good?" L snapped, aware of not just Aizawa's ears, but now that of Mogi's as well, and Matsuda was starting to look over, but it all meant little to him. His knees were gripping his hands tightly, he was shaking slightly in an anger he felt was misplaced, because he knew Watari was only doing this because he honestly believed this would help L. "This is still a killing. This is sinking to Kira's level."

"It is an execution, and this is different. You have always had this ready, always been ready to push a button and tell the administrators they were getting a cell full of Kira. You arranged all this."

"This is _your _fault." L hissed. "If you had just stayed quiet we wouldn't be having this dispute. I wouldn't be arguing with you, and then getting ready to argue with the Task Force whilst also arguing morally and ethically with myself in my head. How _dare_ you."

"Ryuzaki, it is not I who is harbouring obsessive thoughts about a murderer."

"And it is not I who will not drop a subject when obviously hinted at. Do you need it in writing, Watari? In my blood perhaps? I'm not intending to break him out, I'm not intending to run away with him, I'm not intending to act a hero and psychopath all at once by rescuing him when he is on the brink of death, in fact I'm not intending to move _at all_. _Subject closed_." He glared at Watari briefly. "Unless you wish you tie me to this chair, just in case."

Either Watari was a magician or psychic or both, or L had made up some stupid rule years back about Watari always carrying handcuffs, because there was suddenly a pair in Watari's hands and clasping around L's wrist which already had scar marks due to his period of being cuffed to Light.

"Watari, do you not understand sarcasm, or are you really becoming senile? If you wish to take a break from my side for an indefinite stay in San Marino to convalesce then be my guest. Do not wait, you can leave immediately in fact. There's a door."

"Please, Ryuzaki." Watari said in a steady tone he had always used, ever since L was a feisty child ready to prove how much cleverer he was to everyone else with glass chemistry sets and perfectly timed explosions. "It will make me feel better."

L didn't watch as Watari attached the other handcuff to his own wrist, and L knew that even if he could out fight Watari for the key, he couldn't out fight or out run a gun, which Watari would have no hesitation in pulling out on him if he felt that L's life was being threatened by himself. And L rather liked his life, so had to admit that a pistol pressed to his temple was possibly his only real opponent in this world.

After about ten minutes of moody silence, which he avoided other people's gazes and argued with himself angrily and started to lightly remove his hand from the encasing handcuff, L saw Rem float through the ceiling. Whilst Sayu and Sachiko couldn't see her, the rest of the task force could, but she addressed L instead of bothering with the rest of the team.

"They are here." She said. L stared at her blankly.

"Who are?" Matsuda asked, sensibly trying to keep his voice down and away from the Yagami women.

"The Shinigamis." L muttered, and looked around. "Will they allow me to see them?"

"It depends on the Shinigami." Rem said. "They have been watching from the Shinigami Realm. It is their only source of entertainment. Some of them do not like you."

"I am not a character in a film," L muttered, mood bad enough as it was without how many Shinigamis acting like his turmoil was a game. "It is ridiculous they refuse me my wish because I stopped their 'entertainment'."

"How many?" Aizawa asked, even more sensibly than Matsuda and L combined. L had not thought to ask.

"There are five including me here today. Most have stayed in the Shinigami Realm."

"How many are in the Shinigami Realm?" Matsuda asked, breathless with amazement and wonder, looking around, momentarily forgetting his own pain.

"There are twelve now, excluding the Shinigami king. Most of us have died."

"I didn't know Shinigami could die."

"Matsuda, shut up." Aizawa growled, and Matsuda looked like a kicked puppy like usual, sinking back into his misery.

"How many will let me see them?" L asked, and Rem turned away. L followed her eye line to see thin air as he expected, and frowning he curled up tighter. Until all at once the world shifted slightly, and standing before him was a long string of black and silver, thinner than even Rem and with a grin like a Cheshire Cat with teeth like razors. His eyes glowed a dull red, and L wondered if he should be scared.

"Hi there!" The Shinigami said gleefully, and L changed his mind, decided he wasn't going to even entertain the thoughts of fear. "The name's Ryuk. I'm the Shinigami with Light. He'll probably be pissed to know I let you see me, but there isn't much he can do about it now, can he, eh?" The Shinigami threw his head back to laugh maniacally.

"You gave Kira-kun the Death Note?" L asked, and Ryuk pondered this for a minute.

"Nope, not really." He said eventually. "He was the one who picked it up. I just dropped it and it happened to land where he saw it first."

Another shift in the world around him had L looking at three other Shinigamis, including one who nervously introduced himself as 'Sidoh' who looked like he had been bandaged up and reluctant to speak to L but determined to have his say.

"Actually, it was _my _death note." He drawled out, looking mainly at Ryuk. "You stole it." Ryuk grinned at him silently, or he might of said something, but two more Shinigamis appeared in L's line of sight. One only came in to touch L with his death note before walking out to get more room for her immense size, proving to L that not all Shinigamis were as humanoid as the others were. When the shinigami called himself Midora, L realised it wasn't a male, and was taken by the curiously looking creature. She seemed the most interested in Light, seeing as Sidoh was caught in an argument with Ryuk. L found himself surprised at such usual, human behaviour coming from creatures so unusual and powerful. The final shinigami looked like a child's design of a monster, with a skullish face and a huge feather head-dress like an cliché American Indian set up. On his left hand was a hook instead, and L could only nod as the Shinigami said he was named Zellogi before joining Midora to watch Ryuk and Sidoh fight.

L looked to Rem when he say her peer down to gauge his reaction and he didn't say anything because he honestly didn't feel anything. She appeared to sigh heavily when her attention was drawn back to the other Shinigamis, where Ryuk appeared to be getting quite defensive and Sidoh was getting more aggressive. His voice irritated L, and he closed his eyes for a second.

Everything froze when the door to the white room swung open, but L didn't see this. Watari shook his shoulder as Light was led into the room, standing between a tight circle of guards as he had been when he'd left L, and he looked towards the booth where they were sitting. It appeared he locked L a look dead in the eye, but L was only 24% certain that it wasn't an accident. They had already said goodbye. This, now, with L watching his final demise was just a formality.

Besides him, Ryuk started to chuckle and waved at Light, gesturing to L and then to himself, and Light seemed annoyed for a moment. Then his features softened out again and he was blank once more as he had been when they put him in the room. They strapped him onto a table which swivelled through horizontal and vertical so he could be administered the lethal injection correctly before 'standing' to look at his family and 'friends' who had come to see him off properly. The Yagami's were crying, and silently, so was Matsuda, not bothering to hide the tears forming in his eyes. Mogi was as impassive as always, conflicting emotions stopping under his skin and not expressing themselves on his face. Watari was detached and thus equally stoic, and Aizawa seemed livid. At home, L imagined Misa to be crying her little eyes out in useless despair, all alone and falling apart and cursing him with every last breath that wasn't crying out for Light. Rem was watching on quietly, Ryuk looked amused, and the other Shinigamis just fascinated by the murderer and object of the last few month's entertainment. Light was painfully oblivious to any but Rem and Ryuk. L himself was still absently working his way out of his handcuff as he started to fidget and wanted to leave but wanted to stay at the same time. Earlier had been the end of them, but now was the end of him, and it felt wrong for L to miss it. Outside, in the real world, life blissfully continued, and the Kira worshippers weren't even aware that their "God" was soon to be dead.

The Doctors bustled in, letting Light 'stand' for the moment whilst they sorted out the plan quietly amongst themselves for a final time, just making sure they had it all sorted so it could all go smoothly. Ryuk moved away from L as they were doing it, walking through the wall and window to go towards Light. He spoke too softly for L to hear to Light and Light showed no reaction to the Shinigami at all. L attempted to lip read, but it was difficult when the lips in question weren't human and had sharp teeth in every direction obscuring the movements of the mouth. L scowled a little bit. The Shinigami stepped back as the doctors started to move around again, and then he reached for a satchel at the side of his hip and got out a notebook. L wondered briefly what that was for, before he panicked, yanking his hand from the handcuffs all too quickly and tearing skin whilst his knuckled caught and everyone was startled by his movements. He saw Ryuk chuckle at his attempts and grin at him broadly, as well as Light's glare to L and the resigned look he then adopted. It was then L realised Ryuk wasn't writing any of their names – he was writing Light's. Light, in turn, knew his fate, and something told L he knew it from the very beginning.

"The Shinigami who gave the notebook will be the one who kills the human." Rem said to the room and all those who could hear her, and while Watari tried to stop him, L had got his hand from the irritating metal clasp and had thrown the older man from him as he started to lift himself from his chair and form a plan to somehow break through the window and stop the Shinigami. It wasn't fair that his victory be taken from him! It was rightfully his, the blood and sweat and pain he'd suffered to lose and go through and now the damned Shinigami with that damn piranha smile meant to steal it.

He yelled "Stop it!" To the Shinigami, and everyone must have thought him crazy, for surely L would not wish to see the doctor's stop their work. L didn't care that nobody could see Ryuk bar him and the other Shinigamis who, all besides Rem, thought this was pure gold and was so glad they were here to see this. The doctors on the other side of the glass had been told by L to continue if anyone were to say such a thing (which they knew already, they weren't stupid), but when that person was their boss they were stumped on what to do.

"We haven't done anything." One said, but then noticed L wasn't quite looking at them. It seemed he was looking towards Kira, but even then his eyes weren't quite aimed in the right direction. Everyone looked at air and wondered if L had finally lost it.

Ryuk, on the other hand, shook his head and held up his death note. In some horrible sort of chicken scratch sat the name 'Light Yagami' on crisp, white lined paper, and L felt sick. He knew that a name couldn't be undone, and now all that was left was for him to count down the seconds.

He locked eyes with Light again, who didn't seem bothered about his family at all in his last moments. L didn't quite see how that was a good thing at all, but understood. There was something more between them, something intense and shared, now doubly so with the addition of Ryuk and the truth of his death. L stuck his hands in his pockets and stared unabashedly and Light stared back. Everyone was still confused and frozen, but they would start up again soon. Unfortunately, they would be too late. As the 40th second came closer, Light's left hand leaned at an angle, with his palm facing as forward as possible, and his fingers wriggled in a wave goodbye. L mustered up a smile to match Light's own though there was no humour in either, and he had come to terms with this after about two and a half weeks of time to contemplate this, and he knew he would never get his injection. This was a final victory of his own (maybe the victory of a Shinigami, for it was obvious Light was more of one than any of the others were, bar perhaps Rem), and he was pleased about it. L wished to deny him this final victory but could no longer to anything about it, so removed his right hand, the one with the permanent marks around his wrist of shared memories both good and bad, from his pocket and waved back. Around Light's left wrist L could see similar marks, and they would be something always constantly remaining for L's recollection – something of Light L could never forget. He would know, even if he flew to the other side of the world, or to the remotest places on earth, or even to the most crowded, that somewhere in the ground lay the other half to a pair. He knew that without Light he would be incomplete.

Maybe it was good Watari had him chained up, even if it only stalled him for a moment, because he probably _would_ have done something dramatic had he been given the extra time.

Light's body couldn't do more than jolt minutely against the table as he was strapped securely, and his eyes were wide with pain and shock, even though he was expecting it. L couldn't imagine a heart attack being something anyone could successfully steel themselves for, though. The doctors rushed up to him before the guards could, and they stayed back, though were wary in case this was a trick. The task force and the Yagami's rushed up to the window, and Sachiko was screaming for her son and Sayu was sobbing loudly and Yagami-san was yelling to the doctors, asking what the hell they did to him.

"We didn't do anything!" One said back, before returning to poking and prodding desperately at Light.

L leaned a hand against the window – the same hand he'd waved with, the same hand he'd offered Light assistance with, the same hand he had been cuffed to Light with. The hand was bleeding with the cuts he'd obtained from escaping earlier Watari's inconvenient hold, but L didn't care. Light watched the hand with a bit of disgust and a vague sense of amusement, though L knew that such a simple gesture didn't really register in Light's pain-filled mind. Ryuk was laughing mightily at Light's demise, as were a few of the other Shinigamis, but Rem hadn't moved or even reacted, and only turned to leave when Light's eyes started to slide close.

Maybe L imagined it, but he thought he saw Light's hand twitch, as if he was finally reaching out to him, but there was a 89% chance of that being simple emotional confusion, caused by trauma and grief that L couldn't quite feel, but then, he didn't know what either such things felt like. He may have to ask Misa later.

Watari put a hand on his shoulder again and guided him away, and L didn't resist. He would be there at the funeral, and he could always see the body before, just to make sure it had definitely been a heart attack and that the doctors weren't just idiots and one slipped with the needle or something idiotic and Matsuda worthy, and for all L knew Ryuk might be there _for the lolz_ for L to talk very seriously to.

The ride in the car was silent, and L felt his mind start to go very blank as it progressed. His feet slipped from the leather seat, his knees moving away from his chest, until his legs were stretched out in front of him in a very usual manner. He stared at them for a long while in sheer amazement; long enough, in fact, to last the entire car journey.

"Are you hungry, L?" Watari asked as he locked the doors behind them and they entered the headquarters. L shook his head, no, and went ahead, going further up the stairs than Watari did. He found himself at the door to his bedroom before L knew where he was and wondered lightly what he was doing here. He hadn't been here since Light had been here with him. He opened the door slowly and peered in, but refrained from doing much more than swinging open the entry and walking towards the beds. There were two single beds which were spaced apart just enough for them to be separate whilst not risking each other from being pulled off. L wasn't too bothered about a larger, single bed, for he hardly ever slept, but he had known Light would want that sense of privacy and decency which was merely an illusion which even Light knew, but the boy had been big on dignity and, at the time, morality. That meant he took his right to privacy very seriously, which in turn meant his own bed, thank you _very_ much you damned idiotic, socially retarded freak of nature. L headed for his own, manoeuvring well enough in the darkness with only a few bumps to his legs which was excusable by the fuzz he'd found in his head and the ache he felt in his bones, and sat down upon it. He felt a strange sort of relief from this action and investigated further, laying his head back against the pillow and curling himself under the covers. A chill he didn't know he felt was quick to disappear and the pillow felt quite wonderful beneath his head. Was this why Light had liked his bed so much? If this was what he felt every night, L wasn't sure he blamed him for wanting to be in it all the time.

It was closing on half twelve in the afternoon, it was still very much day outside of the windowless room, and L had not slept for over four days. He didn't want to now, either, even though his brain was buzzing faintly like it was a million years behind him and something heavy rested in him as he considered staying awake.

He closed his eyes slowly for a moment, thought vaguely that this was the day Light had always said, sarcastically or no, that he would pay to see, before falling asleep.

* * *

End.

* * *

A/N: "_Ahh, Paris, the city of lovers is glowing this eveniiing. TRUE, that's because it's on FIRE…but still, there's _l'amour." =D


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